Reputable Ignorance
by Phelidae
Summary: Growing up and getting over it with the dignity of a tiny sweaty tiger. AkuRoku.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** _Hey so this is going to be a multichapter fic! This first chapter is extremely short, but it's mostly introductory I suppose. I've been crazy busy with school, but I have returned. Tell me what you think and if you would like to see more of this. I'll do my best to update with chapter two by next week, dudes! All I have to say about this at the moment is don't read too much into the title, I pulled that one straight out of my ass._

_**Warnings: **__I'll only put this once. I have a foul mouth and the sheer amount of swearing and name calling not in this chapter is simply stunning and not a dependable example of my usual dialogue, I'm not sure how that happened honestly. So, 'M' for language and whatever else may or may not come, no pun intended. _

* * *

There is something to be said about surviving high school. No matter who the person might be. Maybe they were the star athlete, the cheer captain. Maybe they were the quiet one who finished their work first, maybe they were the obnoxious kid with greasy hair that always gave the substitutes hell. Maybe they were just a wallflower, slipping under the radar for those four years, completely unnoticed. Regardless of who this person may identify as, the success in graduation is felt by all.

A person isn't simply a person. They're emotions and decisions; winding pathways and sheer cliffs. A person could live their entire life and never know a thing about themselves. One cannot simply guess a person's persona, for nobody ever really knows quite all there is to know. Indisputably, it is harder for some than others. Some don't make it, whether it be due to outside forces or their own doing. Still, it is impossible to see the handsome boy with a toned physique and a pretty girl on his arm and say that high school was easy for him simply because he scored the winning goal and never had to worry about not having someone to sit with during an assembly or lunch. People cannot be assumed.

Besides, life exists post-prom.

* * *

Despite all of the practicalities and financial realism, it's never too pleasant to explain one's community college enrollment. A redundant scene, played out a countless number of times between an old peer, false interest in majors and business plans shared between two people who could not possibly care less about the affairs of the other if it were the only thing between them and the cure to cancer.

"So are you still going to that old community college? It's a shame really, you were so smart!"

"Well you know how it is, the economy and whatnot." Roxas tugged at the unpleasantly orange collar clinging to the light film of sweat coating his neck as he attempted to grin at the face across the counter from him without vomiting. "I actually got my associates already, I'm transferring to Traverse University. I start classes next week."

Predictable exclamations of the credibility of the school they didn't even attend and opinions on local food joints that he really didn't remember asking for. People always wanted to prove how much they knew on the variety of useless things in life. A shrill beeping saved Roxas from a undoubtedly drab description of a quaint little coffee shop that served 'the best scones'.

The unpleasantly familiar heat from the oven wrapped itself threateningly around his face as he pulled the pan out, the cheese on the pizza still bubbling slightly. He slid the food into the awaiting box, folding the corners and sealing in the heat before turning and depositing it onto the counter. He read off the total and made change with practiced ease, handing the money back wrapped in a receipt. Goodbyes laced with feigned regret at having to be said were shared and Roxas was left blankly staring across the lobby at the front door from which his old classmate had just exited, contemplating the repercussions that were to occur if he chose to stick his head in the oven. A sharp flick to the back of his skull pulled him back to the present.

"That's like the third plastic person that's pretended to give two shits about your personal well being in this week alone. I'm a little impressed." The thought of simply pulling his entire body into the oven replace his previous morbid idea.

"Do you think Stan would get pissy if he had to scrape my gooey corpse off of the bottom shelf in the oven?" he asked simply, turning to face his coworker. Riku casually leaned against the glass container that kept the bread sticks hot and Roxas wanted to punch him for willingly putting himself so close to an extra source of heat, a bead of sweat choosing that moment to trickle down his own temple, as if it were assuring him that his friend was making a piss poor decision. Sure, summer was coming to an end, but it was Florida and the humidity was relentless.

"Do _you_ honestly think that Stan would be the one scraping your pathetic ass up?" Roxas considered the truth in his words but didn't really seeing the point in answering, he shrugged and crossed into the back towards the sink.

He pulled the oh-so-flattering visor off and splashed water over his face, the cold prickling his skin and pulling him only a little further away from exhaustion. He ran wet hands through his hair, causing it to stick up even more wildly than it had before, and tugged the raggedy black offense of a hat back onto his head with a loud groan. "This store is hotter than ass!" he shouted, knowing the lobby was empty and that it was only himself and Riku on duty, Thursdays were slow. Riku made no attempt to call him out on his poor analogy and instead focused his previous words, raising his voice so that it carried across the store from the front counter to where Roxas resided in the back.

"Bodies don't melt." Roxas frowned at a yellow water stained ceiling tile.

"Yes they do," he replied simply.

"No, they get crispy and crumble," Roxas rolled his eyes and crossed back to the front. Riku was sitting carelessly on the counter next to the cash register and chewing at his fingernails.

"Who the hell gets _crispy_ when they're on fire?" he demanded. Riku didn't look up from his hands, his tone bored.

"Your corpse wouldn't be gooey cause bodies don't melt, dude," he reiterated. Roxas threw his hands into the air.

"Fuck you, yes they do!"

"Then why do people get their _ashes_ scattered when they die?" he asked with a tone of finality, fixing Roxas with a raised brow. He thought about it for a few moments, staring a hole into the blinking open sign as he replayed all the horror movies he'd seen in his life and tallied the number of melted against the number of crispy.

"It's hot," he muttered off topically, Riku just grunted in agreement and returned to gnawing at his cuticles.

* * *

Traverse was a well spoken of school that had all the fancy bells and whistles one looks for when searching for their dream university. A good athletic program with an almost exclusively victorious record, large rooms that kept a lovely roommate to toilet ratio and highly acclaimed academic excellency. It was home to a hodge podge of youth, offering majors that lead the way to lab coats, ones that lead the way to a name in the credits and whatever else one may find in between. The tuition and acceptance rate were a direct indication to its luxurious stance and those two things were what had deterred Roxas, and without a doubt a large number of others, from attending his dream school after his senior year. But after careful deliberation, responsible decisions and more than one night spent stress sobbing to his mother he had decided to stay living at home and get his basics out the way at the local community college.

It had been a mostly miserable two years spent working at the local pizza joint and putting every penny he earned into his savings account and gas tank, busting his ass to keep his grades top notch and filling out what felt like a million scholarship applications and essays. It was a relentless cycle of application followed by rejection and he tried not to think about how many thousands of words he had written that had gotten him absolutely nowhere closer to his goal. However, the phrase 'hard work pays off' eventually decided to get off of its lazy ass and prove itself right just in time for Roxas to have earned his associates degree.

He had accumulated enough money in scholarships to get him through an entire year at Traverse snag free and two years of sweating in a burnt orange polo and had left him with a savings account he could be proud of. The scholarship chasing life was far from over for him though, he would have to keep trying through the upcoming year and hope that Lady Luck would be on his side for once and allow him to emerge from TU with his bachelors degree and a somewhat manageable amount of debt.

* * *

The rest of the week was spent packing things that should have been packed at least a month ago and mentally preparing himself for what he was about to step into. He was currently going through, at twenty, what he had been so dead set on going through at eighteen. He'd lived in the same bedroom for twenty long years and although his mother promised she would leave his room how he had it he couldn't keep his stomach from knotting up at the prospect of living nearly six hours from home in a dorm with somebody he'd never met before. Riku attended TU and although he was a year older than himself, it slightly sated his jittery state to know that he'd at least have his closest friend with him, even if they would be on opposite sides of the campus. Excitement for the upcoming year began to bubble along with his nerves and he found himself grinning alone in his room as he packed away the last of his movies. His last shift at work had been rather uneventful, a small part of him was a little hurt that he hadn't even gotten so much as a farewell card for his two years of employment but he was mostly just relieved to never have to wear the orange polo or black hat that left him looking like a perspiring stunted tiger with tomato sauce in its hair.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:**_ Tiny baby chapters, agh! So a storm came through earlier tonight, it's still pouring out right now actually, and knocked out my power. Without use of the washer and dryer, it gave me no choice but to sit down and write for a few hours. So I made some iced coffee and listened to the rain cascade on my window as I typed. Luckily my laptop was fully charged. I'm sorry for having such a slow beginning to this story but I'm trying to keep it at an easy pace so that I don't overwhelm myself, it'll pick up. Hopefully with the chapters being shorter than what I usually do, I'll be able to put them out at a healthy rate. But I digress, here's Chapter 2, I hope you enjoy. I have to go do a load of underwear._

* * *

Roxas stood in the doorway to his new room with dinner plates for eyes, it was bigger than he'd imagined and the standard issued furnishings were much nicer than the furniture at his own home. The carpet was a deep scarlet and the walls were a smooth beige color, on any other day he wouldn't have chosen to pair such colors together but they worked surprisingly well in the room, giving it warm and welcoming atmosphere. Two twin sized beds were in the dorm, one pressed against the wall in the corner to his right and one across from the door on the left side of the room, a horizontal rectangular window centered on the wall between them. He dumped his backpack onto the bed on the right and crossed to the window, curious as to what kind of view he and his future roommate, whomever he may turn out to be, were to have for the rest of the year.

A simple second story view of the main courtyard, palm trees lining the walkways and vibrantly green grass blanketing large portions of the area. Some students were sprawled across the lawn in scattered clumps of friends and some were lugging heavy boxes and suitcases through the sticky afternoon heat. Roxas' mother had followed him on the drive up there so that she could see the campus and see if his room earned the parental stamp of approval, it had. She had spoken well of everything she saw, smiling contently and praising him multiple times on his hard work and dedication, telling him that she was proud to call him her son. She began to lose her grip on her emotions after mentioning how proud his father would have been of him and Roxas had decided then was a good time to walk her back to her car.

She gave him the speech required by all paranoid mothers to give, threatening him with castration if he were to get a girl pregnant, and no she didn't care if it was too late at that point, making him promise to call at least twice a week and making sure he had plenty of toothpaste. They stood in the parking lot for another thirty minutes as she went over a checklist with him and he pulled her into a firm embrace when she began repeating items. With a kiss to her temple he sent her off with a promise that she would let him know when she had gotten home safely. Each of them was protective of the other and watching her drive away had sent a sharp pain through his chest that he knew wouldn't be going away anytime soon.

He rubbed his chest absentmindedly as he continued to stare unseeingly out the window, a voice behind him caused him to jump and turn back around towards the doorway.

"So you've got the right side of the room then?" A boy with tanned skin and wheat colored hair stood leaning casually against the wall near the door, arms crossed over his chest with a placid look on his face. Roxas glanced to where his own bag was haphazardly splayed across the bed furthest from the door, he panicked slightly. Was there some kind of ritual where people decided who got to have what side of the room? He hadn't really meant the placement of his bag as a territorial claim, though now that he thought about it, he would much rather have the side of the room furthest from the door. The blonde stranger waved a hand at him dismissively before he had the chance to reply. "Whatever, it looks like your crap got put on that side any way," he sighed and dropped his own leather bag onto the floor, "I'm Vaan, third year biology major, I spend most of my time at the lab, but when I am here I need it quiet, so no loud music or large groups of people or we're going to have a problem and I really don't feel like having to go through the painful reassignment process. I requested a single person dorm but it seems that seniority bumped me out of the drawing once again." Roxas stared, rather dumbfounded at the sudden flow of dull disdain directed his way, Vaan watched him somewhat patiently as he attempted to gather himself enough to speak.

"I, uh, I'm Roxas, this is my first year –"

"You're a _freshman_?" Van asked, Roxas bit his lip lightly in annoyance at being interrupted and shook his head.

"_No_. I spent my first two years at a community college," he explained. Vaan quirked a brow and gave him a once over before rolling his eyes lightly, Roxas' skin pricked at the blatant air of superiority the guy radiated, not even bothering to continue to explain himself.

"Well, whatever. As long as you can keep your side of the room clean and don't interrupt my sleep pattern, we'll be fine. I'm going down to the science wing, I'll be back later."

"I'll do my best," Roxas bit sarcastically as Vaan turned and left. He huffed when he was alone again, glaring at the small stack of boxes near his bed and deciding that he didn't feel much like unpacking at the moment, he thought that exploring the campus might help to take his mind off things and calm his still jittery nerves about his first day. He left the room, locking the door behind himself and heading down the crowded hallway, dodging in between all the people still carrying boxes and other adornments for their rooms.

_Of course_ his roommate would turn out to be a complete dickweed, that was just his luck, the fact that he was paying to live there simply added insult to injury. It was officially his privilege to live with the pretentious asshole. He momentarily considered becoming some kind of grungy slob who enjoyed absurd amounts of hip hop music and partied late into the night just to spite the guy. The fact that Roxas literally spent all of his free time either studying or sleeping only meant that he adhered to Vaan's standards quite well and that they would probably get along perfectly to a certain extent, it perturbed him a little. He had really been hoping that he and his roommate would have become good friends, Roxas wasn't the best at making friends so having such a bump in the road so early in his experience was quite off putting. He truly hoped he wouldn't have to depend solely on Riku for social interaction, not that _Roxas_ would've minded only having the one person, but he didn't want to become a burden to his friend and he knew that he had other friends besides him.

His stomach gave a growl and he faltered in his steps slightly before pulling his phone out of his pocket so that he could call Riku, he was probably somewhere on campus putting off unpacking just as Roxas was and would know where a good place for them to get food was. He was just about to press his friend's number when he turned a corner in the hallway and collided with a solid a mass and was sent stumbling back, slightly stunned.

"Shit, sorry dude!" the obstruction exclaimed. He looked up to the source of the voice, a tall figure mostly obscured behind a large box in his hands with a guitar balanced precariously on top, Roxas shook his head.

"No, it's fine. It was my bad, I was looking at my phone," he said awkwardly. The boy before him peered around the edge of the box, revealing bright eyes and ears heavy with metal strung through them in a large number of places, he grinned a toothy grin as he readjusted his grip on the cardboard, Roxas shifted on his feet awkwardly, not really knowing what to say.

"You a freshman?" the boy asked curiously.

"No, a junior," he replied, only slightly insulted, the aquamarine eyes of the stranger lit up.

"Hey me too!" he balanced the box on one knee and managed to stick out a hand and Roxas quickly shook it before he dropped the box. "I'm Demyx, what dorm are you in?"

"Roxas, 243," he replied.

"Dope, I'm just across the hall." Roxas was certain that he'd never heard that word used in a serious conversation before that moment. "I was hoping we would be roomies, but neighbors is just as good, yeah?" He winked kindly at Roxas with another cheery smile. There was definitely an extremely charming air that surrounded the sandy blonde, Roxas nodded awkwardly in agreement. He was already fairly certain that Demyx would have made a better roommate than who he was assigned.

"Ah, no, I've already met my roommate," he said, not without a trace of resentment.

"Oh, no good?" Demyx asked with a sad quirk of his mouth, Roxas shrugged halfheartedly. "Who is it?"

"Some guy named Vaan?" he offered, perhaps he knew him, he didn't want to insult him by dissing his friends. The sandy blonde's eyes widened slightly before rolling dramatically and Roxas felt a mixture of relief and dread.

"Jesus Christ, that guy is such a prick, I'm sorry dude. That serious blows," he gave him a regretful look and Roxas wondered for a moment if the guy knew the nineties were over, he just shrugged again.

"I'll live," he observed the teetering tower that Demyx was now clearly struggling to hold the longer they spoke, "Hey, you want me to help carry something?" Demyx was back to grinning again, nodding approval of the offer.

"Yeah, that'd be great, could you grab that guitar? Thanks, man." Roxas nodded and stood on his toes so that he could pull the instrument down, nearly dropping it in its unexpected heaviness. A quick flash of worry crossed Demyx's face before he was smiling again and leading Roxas back the way he'd just come from. "It's heavy, yeah. I probably I should have mention that, my bad." They were soon at room 244 and Demyx made a disgruntled face, wiggling back and forth in his spot for a moment before giving Roxas a nervous laugh. "Do you think you could get my keys for me? They're in my front left pocket, sorry. I didn't really think this through too well," Roxas paused at the awkward request, raising a brow at the blonde before he sighed. It wasn't that big of a deal and the guy's apologetic grin made even less of one. He unlocked the door and pushed it open, letting Demyx in first before following behind, leaving the door open. The box was deposited onto the floor with a resounding thud, Roxas was curious as to what it contained but didn't want to be rude, Demyx took the guitar from him and laid it carefully on the bed.

Roxas finally got a good look at him once the box wasn't concealing him, he watched as he stood and stretched his limbs, his interest in the boy was piqued at his unique appearance. Bright coral colored pants that clung to his long legs, a much too large white t-shirt that hung to his upper thighs with some type of gory scene between two bears depicted on the front in a splash of red and yellow. Large and clunky looking boots the were half untied and drooping lazily just above his ankles. His arms were absolutely covered in ink, starting at bony wrists and disappearing into the the short sleeves of his t-shirt, Roxas quickly decided he was a considerably attractive individual and simultaneously felt incredibly drab in his own dark jeans and plain light green shirt. Demyx finished stretching with a satisfied sigh, he turned and grinned at Roxas and he smiled back a little nervously.

"Thank, Roxas. Sorry about bumping into you, I hope I didn't make you late for something?"

"Oh, no, I wasn't headed anywhere in particular. I was just about to look for someplace to eat, but I don't know where anything is around here,"

"This you first year here?" Roxas nodded, "Sweet, well I know this place like the back of my hand and I could definitely eat right about now, you care if I join you?" Roxas didn't mind.

* * *

Demyx apparently thoroughly enjoyed Chinese food and was quick to lead him across campus to a small building crammed into one of the busier parts of town, Roxas struggling slightly to keep up with his long strides. It was more of a hike from their building to the restaurant than Roxas had expected but Demyx proved himself incredibly easy to talk to and Roxas quickly relaxed in his presence, actually beginning to enjoy himself. Demyx pointed out different academic buildings and local hot spots for weekend enjoyment as they walked, a cheap theater that apparently only showed old slasher films that he 'totally needed to check out'. It was ten minutes before Demyx was pointing a their destination and Roxas was more than eager to feel the air conditioning on his skin.

Unfortunately, it ended up being even hotter inside the building than it was outside and Roxas' shirt clung to him as they waited for their food, Demyx tapping his hands in an easy rhythm on his thighs with his head tilted back as he absently read the words on the menu above the counter. Riku had texted him asking him how things were going and he'd just replied that he was grabbing lunch, not wanting him to think that he'd ditched him, they agreed to meet up later that evening at Roxas' dorm since Roxas would have no clue how to find his way to Riku's.

"Oh my god this is the best Chinese food I've ever had the pleasure of inhaling," Roxas muttered after his mouth was clear of the heavenly chicken. Demyx sipped his sweet tea through his straw, a small smile playing at his lips as he watched Roxas, he stabbed at his vegetable lo mein.

"Dude, I know, I literally eat here everyday."

"Seriously?"

"No," Roxas snorted in laughter and Demyx smirked. "Okay, Roxas, since we're friends –"

"Oh are we?" Roxas asked sarcastically with a raised brow, taking a dramatic sip of his soda, Demyx frowned at him.

"Well, I showed you my top secret food joint, this is a members only establishment and if you don't agree to be my friend then I'm sorry but I'll have to kill you." Roxas raised his hands in mock surrender and Demyx continued, his face still completely serious. "Right, as I was saying, since we're friends now, I think we need to get to know each other a little better," he paused, looping a finger through the stretched hole in his earlobe and tugging thoughtfully, "For example; who the fuck is you?" Roxas laughed, setting down his fork and swallowing his food.

"Roxas Winrick, psychology major from Miami," Demyx slapped his hand onto the table loudly, causing a few surprised faces to look their way, a wild grin on his face.

"Well fuck me, I'm Demyx Keeney, _also_ a psychology major but from charming city of Odessa," he folded his hands politely in front of himself on the table, his smile dangerously sweet. "And I do believe we are destined for each other."

They talked until they had both finished their food and then continued to talk for another two hours after that, Roxas was stunned to find how much he had in common with the eccentric male, he would have never guessed they'd shared a major let alone so many similar opinions. They discussed a number of theories, arguing in a friendly manner over a few points, it was the first conversation Roxas had had with someone who shared his passion for the human mind and it was refreshing in an indescribable way. Eventually, they compared schedules and found that they'd be sharing three out of four classes a week together, Roxas was thrilled and silently thanked whoever was in charge for giving him a bit of a break for once. Demyx was kind and entertaining, he wanted to get to know him better and really become his friend, he was glad he would be seeing more of him in the near future.

Demyx was in the middle of telling an obscure story, inked arms flailing as he spoke, creating vivid mental images with his descriptions, "So I told her, no that's not my dog you bimbo..." Roxas' phone vibrated on the surface of the table and he glanced over, still half-listening to the increasingly odd story. A text from Riku displayed on the screen.

_'Hey where are you? I'm at your dorm but there's just some pissy kid with a microscope firmly planted up his ass.'_

Roxas lurched forward suddenly, "Shit!" Demyx paused in his story, giving him a questioning look, "I was supposed to meet my friend back at my room but I completely lost track of time," he stood and quickly disposed of his trash. "Sorry, but I've got to get going."

"Hey, it's cool I understand, I'll walk back with you. I need to get to unpacking anyway, and meet my roommate eventually," he gathered his trash and walked over to throw it away just as the bell on the front door jingled with the arrival of a new customer. Roxas didn't really pay much mind to it as he texted Riku an apology and waited on Demyx until a rowdy voice spoke up.

"Hey shitstick, I figured I'd find your fat ass here," Demyx pointed his middle finger in the direction of the voice without turning around and Roxas turned curiously, his stomach immediately dropping at the person he saw.

Tall, redheaded and all too familiar.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** _Blegh, this chapter is extra short, I hate it. I don't like how this chapter turned out. I had more to explain but couldn't find a way to fit it in without it being awkward. But tomorrow is Friday and I actually have this weekend off for the first time in what feels like months, so I'll be able to write. The next chapter will be considerably longer I assure you. This short shit is pissing me off to no end. I don't like pacing myself. Regardless of my opinion on the matter, there's actually a few people following this, which is fucking grand. So thank you so much. Also, completely irrelevant, but I graduate from high school in seven fucking days. Please enjoy my story!_

* * *

He was seeing a familiar face surfacing in an unfamiliar place. Not familiar in the sense that it's a friendly surprise that he isn't so alone in the new school after all, more in an 'oh god, am I fifteen again?' sense of familiarity. Nobody wants to be fifteen again.

Demyx sauntered over to the newest addition to the building, the two immediately beginning a complex handshake which ended with a sort of half hug that Roxas thought to be quite predictable, though he was mostly just focused desperately on trying to become one with the tile beneath his feet. Dread pooled in his gut and not so sweet memories flooded his mind, perhaps he would be able to slip out past them somehow? Demyx seemed like a cool guy, he' probably understand. However, one more look at the pair completely clogging the only doorway as they conversed forced him to return to his desire to disintegrate.

"Hey, dude, long time no see! How long has it been?"

"You were sitting in my mother's basement eating our food last week."

"God, we need to hangout, I feel like I don't even know you anymore," Demyx muttered wistfully, gazing at an unseen spot on the roof.

"Right, whatever. You'll never guess who my roommate is– actually you probably will, just know that I've got the absolute worst luck imaginable," the redhead began, only to be cut off by a sudden exclamation from Demyx.

"Ah, I nearly forgot," he turned back to Roxas, gesturing to him. Roxas swore under his breath, certain that he had just been on the brink of invisibility via osmosis. "This is Roxas, he helped me carry shit and might like brain tickling just as much as I do," he grinned at Roxas and Roxas bared his teeth in what he hoped was at least a half-way friendly snarl. "This is Axel, he hates brain tickling and get's off watching cells divide." Axel, it wasn't a name he'd forgotten in the last five years and it clearly wasn't one he would be forgetting anytime soon. The aforementioned boy faltered, glaring at an oblivious, or more likely purposefully ignoring, Demyx before shifting his gaze to Roxas and raising a hand in an awkward acknowledgment, face devoid of any emotion. Roxas' shoulders relaxed for a fraction of a second before a pensive look suddenly crossed Axel's face and Roxas' defenses shot through the roof.

"Right," he blurted a little too loudly before anything else could be said or questioned. He patted the sides of his jeans in a nervous compulsion. "Well I really need to get going. Thanks for showing me around–"

"Oh, shit, that's right!" Demyx placed a hand on Axel's chest and forced him to stumble backwards out of the door again, Roxas reluctantly followed them into the sticky heat of the evening. "Sheesh, I'm scatterbrained today. I'm walking Roxas back to his room, he has a date," Demyx explained to Axel who did nothing more than grunt in response, Roxas frowned but decided not to try and correct the sandy blonde on his slightly lewd explanation, lest he draw any more attention to himself than absolutely necessary.

"Uh, I think I know the way back now, I can make it on my own if you don't want to walk all the way back to the dorms yet," he muttered. Maybe Demyx would take a hint?

"Nah, it's fine, don't worry about it dude." Or maybe not. Disheartened, he trudged behind the duo, observing them as they walked as an attempt to distract himself from his increasing stress level.

Demyx walked with a bounce in his step, never quite completely straightening his legs in his strides, almost as if he were about to start skipping at any given moment. His arms swung casually at his side, when they weren't flailing theatrically while he spoke. He reminded him of a bird. Axel, however, walked as if some type of heavy burden was resting on his shoulders: slightly hunched, hands shoved deep in the pockets of his jeans and eyes fixed on the ground with each deliberate step that he took. The contrast between the air they each gave off was rather significant. However, there was only a slight difference between the two when it came to height, Demyx having only about two inches over Axel, which left him towering at least five over Roxas. But he was used to it, the only person he knew who matched his height was Riku.

Riku. That son of a bitch.

He had to have already known that Axel went to their school! How could he have not mentioned something like that before Roxas was forced to awkwardly figure it out on his own? Riku had been there for three years, surely he hadn't simply forgotten to tell him each time he saw Roxas. Undoubtedly, he had some kind of excuse, Roxas could only imagine what it would be this time. 'Well, yeah, I knew he was here but what's more important is that every year, four million cats are eaten in Asia alone."

* * *

The three returned to Demyx and Roxas' building in relative silence, the only break in the quiet coming from Demyx at the occasional blurb about a nearby building. The air conditioning of the dormitories was long awaited and Roxas sighed as the chill engulfed him when they entered. It had been a long day and he had been hoping that Riku would just want to hangout in Roxas' dorm, so long as Vaan was still spending time in the lab, but his friend's text message had proven otherwise and Roxas was slightly concerned at the two being left alone for an extended amount of time. Riku's complete inability to hold a civil conversation with a stranger wasn't something Roxas typically allowed himself to be concerned over but today's situation was slightly more bumpy than usual.

The sound of raised voices as the elevator let them out on the second floor only fueled his worry, Demyx looked down at him with a curiously quirked brow and Axel showed an interest in their surroundings for the first time since they had left the restaurant. Roxas quickly continued out of the elevator, wanting to reach Riku before the other two, he at least knew his way to his room from the elevators.

The sight of Riku casually strolling out of Roxas' doorway, followed by a rather perturbed looking Vaan, greeted him as he rounded the corner and his steps slowed to an eventual hault as he caught what seemed to be the end of their conversation. He wasn't sure of what to do, nothing he could say was going to sate the anger he could see residing in Riku's tense shoulders, his presence went completely unnoticed by the pair.

"And all _I'm _saying is that I'm honestly surprised your feet can touch the ground," Riku drawled, hand raised in a lazy but impressively sassy emphasis of some sort, Vaan's scowl fell slightly in his confusion.

"I beg your pardon?" Riku grinned maliciously and turned dramatically on his heel to face him fully.

"Well, with that pole shoved so far up your ass," he began and Vaan's face ignited, Roxas had decided to make himself known before things inevitably escalated when a sudden growl of annoyance from behind him caught him off guard and Axel shoved his way past.

"Oh you've got to be joking, what the hell are you doing here?" Riku turned in surprise at the new company, his teasing face falling into something much darker at the sight of Axel and his lip curled in a clear sign of disgust.

"I might ask you the same thing," he bit back immediately. Roxas drug a tired hand over his face and fought the urge to shove his head through the drywall out of sheer frustration. Demyx shuffled up next to him, looking completely unfazed, he stretched his arms casually.

"Ah, you're dining with the enemy," he said calmly, a joking tilt to his words. Roxas didn't bother answering. "So I've got to ask you," he began in a lowered voice as their two friends began really bickering, "how is it you know Axel?" Roxas felt the blood drain from his face.

"I, uh, we don't," Roxas stumbled, meeting aquamarine eyes that held a certain amount of knowing, he frowned at Demyx, cutting eyes to Axel and Riku to assure their sufficient distraction and distance before returning his focus to the sandy blonde. It was stupid to try and lie anyway. "How'd you know I knew him?" he asked finitely.

"You mean other than the fact that your eyes fell to the floor the instant you saw him?" Roxas didn't answer, growing slightly annoyed, he didn't really like that he had been so easy to read. Demyx shrugged. "You clammed up. I don't guess he recognizes you though, otherwise I think he might have said something. You guys have bad history or what?" Roxas sent him a sharp glare.

"It's really not any of your business," he muttered. Demyx lifted his hands in defense.

"Alright, I understand, Chinese food doesn't equate to immediate secret sharing, we're cool." He immediately felt guilty at giving the boy the cold shoulder, he didn't _want _to be rude to him at all, it just wasn't a subject he felt compelled to speak about with a basic stranger in such an unexpectedly casual way. Besides, he was fairly certain it was all about to come pirouetting into the goddamn open anyway. He sighed, all he suddenly wanted to do was curl up in bed and sleep.

"Roxas!" He jumped at the calling, glancing over to noticed Vaan headed towards him, he felt himself droop and heard a snort of laughter from Demyx. Riku cut himself off mid sentence at the name, looking around Axel and clearly seeing Roxas for the first time. He pushed past the redhead but Vaan easily reached him first. "I can already see that you're going to prove to be a hindrance to my studies." Roxas ran jammed the heels of his hands into his eyes tiredly before quickly dragging them though his hair, leaving it sticking in a hazardous manner when he dropped them. He wasn't sure if Vaan was being serious or not, did the guy honestly think that this is what Roxas' life consisted of on a daily basis? Riku arrived before he could respond and gripped Roxas' shoulder.

"Hey, Rox, what in the ever loving fuck are you doing hanging with these two asshats?" A strangled noise from Axel before he surged over, glaring at Roxas with green eyes that seemed to be willing him to become subject to spontaneous combustion. The ballerinas had officially arrived.

"I _knew_ I knew you from somewhere!" he hissed, jabbing a finger into his chest. "You're that little shit that tagged along with this fucker back in high school."

Roxas was fifteen again. He _really_ didn't want to be fifteen again.

Roxas tripped over his tongue and Riku shoved the accusing hand away from him and took a threatening step closer to Axel, there was a considerable height difference between the two of them but Riku didn't seem to notice. Axel glowered down at him for a moment, fists clenched threateningly at his sides, before Riku began to speak to Roxas in a level tone without ever breaking eye contact with Axel.

"Hey Roxas, did you know," he began. Roxas tensed, having no idea while simultaneously knowing exactly what was coming. "During the middle ages, it was believed that redheaded children were results of sexual intercourse during menstruation." Roxas was completely speechless and Axel's eyes quickly filled to the brim with the promise of an agonizingly slow death, he snarled and grabbed a handful of the boy's shirt and yanked him closer. Riku gave a surprised huff of laughter, sounding a bit crazed.

"Oh, and what do they say about little twats with gray hair?"

"Fair hair was actually seen as a sign of royalty or wealth because, to them, it signified less time spent –" Axel shoved him backwards into the wall sufficiently cutting him off, Riku winced at the impact but managed to keep his footing, Axel was back to pointing but his anger had apparently rendered him speechless. His hand fell away as he took turns glaring at the two of them before he stormed off down the hall and around the corner after a few quiet moments. Riku looked contemplative and Roxas let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding, he started when Demyx spoke, having completely forgotten he was there.

"It was great meeting you, Roxas, I'm glad we're going to be neighbors." There wasn't an ounce of sarcasm in his words as he smiled down at him and he continued to appear completely unaffected by the recent happenings. "I'd like to not let our friend's differences with each other cause a rift between us, you seem like a pretty ace guy. I'll see you Monday, yeah?" Roxas stared for a short second before nodding a couple times, Demyx looked pleased and waved kindly before disappearing the way Axel had gone. Roxas stared at the thin carpet the covered the floor of the hallway before wheeling on Riku, shoving him in the shoulder lightly.

"How could you not tell me he went to this school?" he hissed.

"It had never been much of a problem before this year! I only ever saw him in passing, maybe twice a semester, but now he's my motherfucking damn shitty ass roommate," Riku pouted intelligently. "I honestly don't know how we got paired, he's got to be the only biology major in Preston Hall." Roxas blinked at the new information.

"Isn't Preston for the arts?"

"No shit, Sherlock. I went to admin but they told me that it wasn't a top priority, which I believe roughly translates to 'fuck off twerp.'" he growled. "I honestly thought that you could get through this year without ever seeing him, it's not my fault you went and befriended the fucking hippie." Roxas didn't think that was the right adjective for Demyx, but he couldn't think of a better one at the moment, so he settled for firmly frowning at his friend.

"Whatever, Demyx is cool." Riku quirked an incredibly sarcastic brow but didn't interrupt him. "Why is Axel even here? He's got to be like, what? Twenty two or three?"

"I guess he took a couple years off? I don't fucking know, Roxas." Roxas groaned and Riku narrowed his eyes at him. "What? I _wanted_ to warn you, but every time you talked about this school you got this starry ass look in your eyes like a damn cartoon character. What kind of best friend would I be if I had ruined that image you'd built up in your head?" he sighed, running a hand through his own hair before patting Roxas lightly on the shoulder like a loyal pet. "Look, you've worked your ass off for this, it's your dream school, don't let some shit stain from high school bring you down. Besides, I'm pretty sure his issue lays mostly with me, you were just an innocent bystander." That last part wasn't entirely true and Roxas knew Riku knew that, so he didn't bother pointing it out to him. He was right in every other aspect though, he shouldn't let one person from his past make him miserable. This was _his_ year dammit, he was twenty years old, not a sophomore in high school. Axel wasn't _his_ roommate, Riku could deal with him. He stood a little straighter, puffing his chest out dramatically, the sour look on Riku's face melted into a fond smirk at the demonstration.

"You're right, Riku," he said proudly. Riku held his hands out slightly from his sides and nodded solemnly, as if that were the most intelligent phrase Roxas had ever uttered.

It was hard, if not impossible, for him to stay mad at Riku for longer than five minutes, although most people would disagree and claim that it was quite possibly the easiest thing they'd ever done, second nature even. Roxas' mother was one of those people, but it didn't stop her from inviting him over for every single major and minor holiday without bothering to even ask Roxas, he knew that deep down she had to love him just as much as Roxas did. Either that or she loved Roxas a whole lot more than he thought she did. He was glad that he had ended up on the good side of Riku, though he wasn't quite sure how it had happened, but if it meant he wouldn't be subject to his childish instigating tendencies and poor temper, he wasn't about to question it. Most people were all the same anyway, he hated the monotony human kind tended to display. He searched for the abnormalities in the pattern of life, such as people like Riku, perhaps that's why he had taken so quickly to Demyx. He was a character all to himself, with odd quirks and a mind Roxas would really like to engage with further. People like that were what made life interesting.

The rest of the week would without a doubt to be better, he would start classes and finally begin learning more about the subject for which he was so passionate, no more generic basic classes being required of him. He had a small list of things to do before Monday, however, one of which was unpacking. He and Riku agreed to help each other accomplish the daunting task, but not _that_ night, the boxes could wait a little longer, they certainly weren't going anywhere.


End file.
